SPRING 2009 ISSUE 002
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SPRING 2009 ISSUE 002
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3
Zeromile Magazine is published twice a year by students and faculty in
the Communication Design Concentration of the Art Department of
Metropolitan State College of Denver. All student staff members are
contributors and all publishers are faculty members.
Zeromile issue #002 was written, designed, and marketed by the Spring
‘09 Typography III course in partnership with Metro State’s AIGA Student
chapter, Future Leaders of Design.
Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without premission
of the publisher. © 2009, all rights reserved.
Zeromile Magazine
Attn: Peter Regenold Bergman
Metropolitan State College of Denver
Department of Art
Campus Box 59, PO Box 173362
Denver, CO 80217-3362
To advertise in Zeromile Magazine contact:
www.zeromilemagazine.com
Executive Publisher
Managing Publisher
Marketing Director
Sales Director
Editor In Chief
Contributing Editor
Contributing Editor
Contributing Photo Editor
Creative Director
Senior Art Director
Managing Art Director
Illustrator
Layout Designer
Layout Designer
Production Manager
Internet Executive
Web Designer
Web / Layout Designer
Lisa Abendroth
Peter Regenold Bergman
Erin Doyle
Nicole Veney
Karen Andrews
James Chaney
Adam Young
Amy Roberts
Zack Benham
Xander Hirsch
Valerie Brazeau
Tracy Byram
Lori Sheng
Brian Do
Annie Mender
Sean Flater
Katie Schweger
Oguer Peinado
FEATURES
CONTRIBUTIONS
Union Station Redevelopment Adam Young
Just What is Graphic Design? Karen Andrews
The Morbid James Chaney
Beyond the Printed Page Amy Roberts
Adrenalin Oguer Peinado
Paper Fashion Show Valerie Brazeau
Art Helping Youth Karen Andrews
The Lot @ Rhino Erin Doyle
The Psychedelic Poster Show Adam Young & Zack Benham
Damien Hirst at the MCA Denver Adam Young
Colorado Hip-Hop on the Map Xander Hirsch & Colorado Hip-Hop Report
We’re All Faces in the Crowd Sean Flater
Doors Open Denver Katie Schweger
Amy & Xander Mix Amy Roberts & Xander Hirsch
Peculiar Journey with Patrick Loehr Lori Sheng & Tracy Byram
The Post Modern Painters World James Chaney
SoundCollege Brand Annie Mender & Thomas Dalbec
Scot Lefavor Nicole Veney
Audible Audities Amy Roberts
Ideas Brian Do
Art Deco Architecture Tracy Byram
Collective Nouns Brian Do
Our Crazy World Katie Schweger
The Union Erin Doyle
Generally Speaking Zack Benham
West Meets Old East on Stage Sean Flater
Nature Lori Sheng & James Ingrassia
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Karen AndrewsEditor in Chief
In case you missed the first issue of Zeromile, this magazine is completely run and
produced by Communication Design students at Metropolitan State College of
Denver. Each semester there is a new set of students involved in producing the
magazine. Each student has to apply for a position by attending an interview and
providing a resume and samples of work pertinent to the position. The process of
acquiring and fulfilling a job on the magazine has given us a bit of real-world
experience and a taste of working in the design community. While some got the
jobs they wanted and some didn’t, as is in life, everyone has worked hard to make
this a great publication. This magazine is a collaboration of students working
together, meeting deadlines and having a bit of fun in the process.
If you remember the first issue, you may notice a slightly different look to this
issue. As new employees of Zeromile we had the ability to change this issue how
we saw fit. As good designers we decided to keep the logo as is for consistency
sake. We wouldn’t want fans of Zeromile to think it didn’t exist any longer
because they didn’t see the familiar logo! We did, however, refine the logo just a
bit. The design of the magazine also has a more consistent look. Each designer
had guidelines they needed to follow while still allowing their creativity to shine.
The content had to adhere strictly to the topic of art culture in Denver, again to
create a consistent theme to the magazine.
We defined art culture as all things that have to do with the arts in some way. Each
person had to follow content guidelines, but was free to decide within those
guidelines what they wrote about. No one was assigned a topic. Based on the
guidelines, each student creatively thought about what make an interesting
contribution and would make this issue appealing to read. Inside this issue you will
find fascinating articles about fine art, music, art and design events, designers,
reviews, and some creative pieces such as photo collages, poems, and illustrations.
In producing this magazine we hope to provide a glimpse into the art culture of
Denver. We hope this issue will show you some things you might not have known
about before and will tempt you to get out and discover what Denver has to
offer in the way of art culture. We hope it will show you the diversity of what this
town has to offer. This issue will let you know about local artists of all kinds. It
will give you insight into what some artists are doing and why they do what they
do. You’ll be able to learn about some events that have impacted Denver’s art
culture and Denver’s inhabitants. You’ll also become aware of some excellent,
less popular talent out there that needs a voice and needs to be heard. You’ll
also learn about people changing lives within the community through the arts.
We hope that you will also check out our website, www.zeromile.com, for more
stimulating articles and upcoming events in the next few months.
Creatively yours,
EDITORTHE
6
Insert Article Heading Here Written By Author Name Designed By Designer Name
Union Station RedevelopmentPreserving Historic ArchitecureBy Adam Young
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station. It will all be surrounded by
lively new public spaces, and will end up
with a price tag of $477 million. This
plan, if all goes as intended, will make
Union Station the hub of transporta-
tion for Denver and the entire region
while retaining the historic value of
the Union Station building. The Master
Plan states that: “The Denver Union
Station Master Plan serves as the
blueprint for redeveloping and pre-
serving Denver’s historic Union Station
and 19.85 acres of surrounding land.
Union Station will be transformed into a
transportation hub – serving the needs
of residents, tourists and commuters.”
(Quoted from www.denverunionsta-
tion.org/master_plan/).
The Union Station redevelopment
plan is one of the biggest transporta-
tion developments in Denver’s history.
Some might say that it is even bigger
than the construction of DIA. It calls for
a large new train shed, a light-rail ter-
minal, an underground bus terminal
and pedestrian walkway, an extended
mall shuttle and a renovated historic
Union Station. Photo by Amy Roberts
7
But how much of the historical value
will they in fact preserve? On the
same website, in more detail, they talk
about their goals of historical preser-
vation. One bullet point states, “Fit the
form and architecture of the project’s
new development with respect to
the historic character of Denver
Union Station and the surrounding
neighborhoods” Another says, “To the
greatest extent feasible, fully incorpo-
rate the historic train station into the
multimodal transportation hub both
physically and functionally.”
This all sounds great, until I down-
loaded a pdf document from the same
website that contradicts the Master
Plan’s historical preservation. Under
the architecture section, I found this:
“New architecture should be true to our
place and time by expressing contem-
porary functions, aesthetics, technolo-
gies, and regional characteristics.” I
was unable to fi nd any real solid
architectural plans, maybe because it
is still very early in the development
stage, but I am guessing that the new
architecture will be too contemporary
and may drown out the historical
building they intend to preserve.
I make this prediction based on the
architects hired for the job, Anderson
Mason Dale Architects and Semple
Brown Design, both of which are local
and well-known. Anderson Mason Dale’s
Great-West Life Center Tower III can
be seen from south I-25. The three,
quarter-cylinder buildings defi nitely
catch your eye, especially if the seem-
ingly all glass sides refl ect the sunset.
Semple Brown Design is known for
their work on the Denver School of
the Arts building and the Littleton
Church of Christ, both of which are
very contemporary and actually
really cool.
1400 Wewatta Condos and Offi ce spaces. Photo by Amy Roberts
8
Insert Article Heading Here Written By Author Name Designed By Designer Name
The architecture that is used in the
1400 Wewatta project in the lower
downtown area (not too far from
Union Station) combines contem-
porary design with the older looks
of the surrounding buildings. This
project is a perfect example of new
architecture that fi ts into an older
area. Designed by Opus Northwest
and Shears Adkins Architects, these
offi ce spaces and residences utilize
the kind of architecture I think of
when faced with the problem of
historical preservation.
On the other hand, there is the exten-
sion of the Denver Art Museum, which
is completely contemporary and does
not fi t into the surrounding neighbor-
hood at all. This addition was designed
by Daniel Libeskind and Davis
Partnership Architects, and completed
in 2006. It is completely out of place
in the older neighborhood with all
of the diagonal lines and geometric
shapes. Honestly, it is hard to tell that
it is even a building. Although it is out
of place in the neighborhood, it is
completely in context – the new ex-
tension currently houses the Modern
and Contemporary art collections.
It is very tricky to design new architec-
ture in an area that is surrounded by
older neighborhoods, and I think the
Union Station redevelopment team
has a lot to consider when designing
all the new architecture, especially
when they intend to preserve the
historical value of the Union Station
Building. I don’t doubt that the new
design of the architecture will be visu-
ally stimulating and a sight to see. I
just wonder how much of the historic
building will be preserved and how
they intend to incorporate the “new”
with the “old” in one cohesive piece of
architecture. At any rate, hopefully this
enormous plan will help the horrid
transportation problem in Denver and
won’t be another letdown like T-REX.
Extension to the Denver Art Museum . Photo by Amy Roberts
What do you think of when someone
says graphic design? Do you think
business cards and brochures? That’s
what a lot of people think of, but some
people don’t even know what it is.
People will ask me what I’m studying in
school and I tell them graphic design.
More times than not, I get a blank
stare and am asked, “What is that
exactly?” Our program at Metropolitan
People will ask me what I’m studying in school and I tell them graphic design. More times than not, I get a blank stare and am asked, “What is that exactly?”
It seems that there are many defi ni-
tions of design. Most professionals
say it is a verb; it is something you
do. Professional associations even
have their own defi nition, saying it is
a decision making process. To
consumers, it is something they
encounter out in the world. In Marcus
Fairs’ book What is Design? he says,
“Design is unique among the creative
State College of Denver is actually
called Communication Design which is
a more accurate description but usu-
ally confuses people as well. Potential
students have inquired at Metro State
as to whether we have a graphic
design program and have been told we
don’t because the offi ce of Admissions
doesn’t think we have one. They think
Communication Design is something
else. I know when I’ve used the term
Communication Design some people
think I’m doing some sort of radio
advertising or creative journalism.
I think graphic design has largely been
misunderstood over the years. Do
you know the fi rst graphic design was
actually cave paintings about 17,000
years ago? It was visual communica-
tion. Early people communicated a
story or event with pictures. That’s
very simply what graphic design is, the
visual communication of information.
disciplines in that the word refers
solely to what practitioners do, rather
than what they produce.” Dictionaries
have many different defi nitions of de-
sign, mostly defi ning design as a verb,
but also describing it as a noun: “An
arrangement of form or appearance.”
With all these defi nitions of design it
can be a little confusing.
I think design, like art, is decided upon
by the creator and the viewer. It can
be called design by the creator, but
whether it’s good or bad is in the eyes
of the viewer. Being a graphic de-
signer, I feel that design is something
that is done, a verb. A client needs
a magazine layout, or a book jacket
among many other things, and the
designer comes up with a solution for
that need that they have designed.
Graphic design is used in many dif-
ferent aspects. It is more commonly
Just what is graphic design?Written by Karen Andrews
Designed by Valerie Brazeau
What do you think of when someone
says graphic design? Do you think
business cards and brochures? That’s
what a lot of people think of, but some
people don’t even know what it is.
People will ask me what I’m studying in
school and I tell them graphic design.
More times than not, I get a blank
stare and am asked, “What is that
exactly?” Our program at Metropolitan
People will ask me what I’m studying inschool and I tell them graphic design.More times than not, I get a blank stareand am asked, “What is that exactly?”
It seems that there are many defi ni-
tions of design. Most professionals
say it is a verb; it is something you
do. Professional associations even
have their own defi nition, saying it is
a decision making process. To
consumers, it is something they
encounter out in the world. In Marcus
Fairs’ book What is Design? he says,
“Design is unique among the creative
State College of Denver is actually
called Communication Design which is
a more accurate description but usu-
ally confuses people as well. Potential
students have inquired at Metro State
as to whether we have a graphic
design program and have been told we
don’t because the offi ce of Admissions
doesn’t think we have one. They think
Communication Design is something
else. I know when I’ve used the term
Communication Design some people
think I’m doing some sort of radio
advertising or creative journalism.
I think graphic design has largely been
misunderstood over the years. Do
you know the fi rst graphic design was
actually cave paintings about 17,000
years ago? It was visual communica-
tion. Early people communicated a
story or event with pictures. That’s
very simply what graphic design is, the
visual communication of information.
disciplines in that the word refers
solely to what practitioners do, rather
than what they produce.” Dictionaries
have many different defi nitions of de-
sign, mostly defi ning design as a verb,
but also describing it as a noun: “An
arrangement of form or appearance.”
With all these defi nitions of design it
can be a little confusing.
I think design, like art, is decided upon
by the creator and the viewer. It can
be called design by the creator, but
whether it’s good or bad is in the eyes
of the viewer. Being a graphic de-
signer, I feel that design is something
that is done, a verb. A client needs
a magazine layout, or a book jacket
among many other things, and the
designer comes up with a solution for
that need that they have designed.
Graphic design is used in many dif-
ferent aspects. It is more commonly
Written by Karen AndrewsDesigned by Valerie Brazeau
ZE
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MILE MAGAZIN
E
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PR I N G 2 009
DESIGN
9
their needs are and conduct suffi cient
research on the company or product
before ever beginning any sketches
or ideas. Every designer has their
own process but usually preliminary
sketches are done either on paper
or on a computer. Then ideas are put
out there for critique. Some designers
that work in a studio will have their
colleagues critique their work before
showing ideas to the client, or if a
designer works for themselves they
may go right to the client with their
fi rst ideas. Ideas are narrowed down
and refi ned and then a fi nal design is
decided on. Most of the time designs
are not the work of one person.
Usually a design is a collaboration
of several people working together
to come up with a design that is
just right.
So if you think someone walks into a
design studio, requests a logo and the
designer sits down and creates it in a
small amount of time and hands it to
the person, you’re wrong! There is a lot
of time, effort and thought that goes
into every design.
That explained very briefl y how
designs are created, but what are the
tools of the trade? Besides computers,
printers and lots of other equipment,
the two main tools of graphic design
are typography and images. These are
used to create brochures and business
cards that communicate information
to clients or customers. There is so
much more that is taken for granted
by most of the population. They see
these things on a day-to-day basis
but just don’t think of how it was
made. Most of what you see in print
has been designed by someone, and
not always by a skilled designer. Even
when someone with no design skills
arranges their name, address, phone
number and other information on
a business card and goes down to
Kinkos to have it printed, they have
designed something.
Another form of graphic design that
is growing more and more each year
is digital design. The use of websites
and devices such as iPods and
Amazon’s Kindle is increasing in leaps
and bounds constantly. Someone
needs to design for these items. The
interface and the way things look
on your screen don’t just happen by
themselves; someone had to carefully
and skillfully design the content and
interface to make it enjoyable and
easy for the user.
So just how does something get
designed? A good designer takes
many things into consideration before
starting a design. The designer should
meet with the client and fi nd out what
Besides computers, printers and lots of other equipment, the two main tools of graphic design are typography and images.
their needs are and conduct suffi cient
research on the company or product
before ever beginning any sketches
or ideas. Every designer has their
own process but usually preliminary
sketches are done either on paper
or on a computer. Then ideas are put
out there for critique. Some designers
that work in a studio will have their
colleagues critique their work before
showing ideas to the client, or if a
designer works for themselves they
may go right to the client with their
fi rst ideas. Ideas are narrowed down
and refi ned and then a fi nal design is
decided on. Most of the time designs
are not the work of one person.
Usually a design is a collaboration
of several people working together
to come up with a design that is
just right.
So if you think someone walks into a
design studio, requests a logo and the
designer sits down and creates it in a
small amount of time and hands it to
the person, you’re wrong! There is a lot
of time, effort and thought that goes
into every design.
That explained very briefl y how
designs are created, but what are the
tools of the trade? Besides computers,
printers and lots of other equipment,
the two main tools of graphic design
are typography and images. These are
used to create brochures and business
cards that communicate information
to clients or customers. There is so
much more that is taken for granted
by most of the population. They see
these things on a day-to-day basis
but just don’t think of how it was
made. Most of what you see in print
has been designed by someone, and
not always by a skilled designer. Even
when someone with no design skills
arranges their name, address, phone
number and other information on
a business card and goes down to
Kinkos to have it printed, they have
designed something.
Another form of graphic design that
is growing more and more each year
is digital design. The use of websites
and devices such as iPods and
Amazon’s Kindle is increasing in leaps
and bounds constantly. Someone
needs to design for these items. The
interface and the way things look
on your screen don’t just happen by
themselves; someone had to carefully
and skillfully design the content and
interface to make it enjoyable and
easy for the user.
So just how does something get
designed? A good designer takes
many things into consideration before
starting a design. The designer should
meet with the client and fi nd out what
Besides computers, printers and lots of other equipment, the two main tools of graphic design are typography and images.
10
the components that make up what
you see, and what has been arranged
carefully to communicate an idea well.
There is image-based design. We’ve all
heard the phrase, a picture is worth
a thousand words, and it’s very true.
Sometimes images speak louder than
words. A single image can have a
strong impact. If designed well, having
a good image with few words can be
very powerful.
Then there is also type-based design.
This is where words are the main
element. The way words are arranged
on a page can make it easy to read. A
lot of times when you read a book you
don’t realize the care and effort that
went into arranging those words just
right so they are legible to the reader.
On a large scale, words can be used
in a graphical nature where the words
actually become like an image and
create a powerful impact. More often
than not it is the delicate marriage of
words and images that make design
so powerful. It is the careful arrange-
ment of those elements that allows a
message to be communicated.
Personally, I would like to see some
change regarding how design is
thought of. The profession needs
more respect. Graphic design is a very
anonymous profession. We don’t get
a lot of recognition. When you see
designs out there they’re not ac-
companied by the designer’s signature
or mark. Everything is just taken for
granted. So it’s defi nitely not a job for
a person who needs a lot of attention
or constant appreciation. I hope after
reading this article you have a better
understanding of what a graphic
designer does and you take the time
to think about the time that went into
designing the things you see around
you on a daily basis.
the components that make up what
you see, and what has been arranged
carefully to communicate an idea well.
There is image-based design. We’ve all
heard the phrase, a picture is worth
a thousand words, and it’s very true.
Sometimes images speak louder than
words. A single image can have a
strong impact. If designed well, having
a good image with few words can be
very powerful.
Then there is also type-based design.
This is where words are the main
element. The way words are arranged
on a page can make it easy to read. A
lot of times when you read a book you
don’t realize the care and effort that
went into arranging those words just
right so they are legible to the reader.
On a large scale, words can be used
in a graphical nature where the words
actually become like an image and
create a powerful impact. More often
than not it is the delicate marriage of
words and images that make design
so powerful. It is the careful arrange-
ment of those elements that allows a
message to be communicated.
Personally, I would like to see some
change regarding how design is
thought of. The profession needs
more respect. Graphic design is a very
anonymous profession. We don’t get
a lot of recognition. When you see
designs out there they’re not ac-
companied by the designer’s signature
or mark. Everything is just taken for
granted. So it’s defi nitely not a job for
a person who needs a lot of attention
or constant appreciation. I hope after
reading this article you have a better
understanding of what a graphic
designer does and you take the time
to think about the time that went into
designing the things you see around
you on a daily basis.
11
I would like to see some change regarding how design is thought of. The profession needs more respect.
34
The Morbid
Contemporary Art is struggling in
today’s society. It searches for a truth
that explains our culture through
expression. Artists are looking for a
way to defi ne their inner subconscious
through pictorial imagery, and they
have never had more choices than
they do in the digital era. While
traditional media, like photography,
are being replaced by technology, art-
ists working with both traditional and
digital media are following a morbid
trend that extracts their deepest feel-
ings and presents them in the most
unusual ways.
What is the reason for The Morbid to continually reappear throughout contem-porary art?
Explaining the movement of The Mor-
bid is best done through the historical
trace of subconscious contradictions
that appear in surrealism. In “What
is Surrealism?” Max Ernst writes,
“The fact that contradictions appear,
and continue to reappear, within
the changing positions successively
adopted by the Surrealists proves
only that the movement is properly in
fl ux. By overthrowing the established
relationships between what counted
as ‘realities,’ Surrealism has thus
inevitably played its part in accelerat-
ing the general crisis in the conscious-
ness and conscience of our time.”
This general crisis that Ernst refers to
is alive and strong in 2009. As some
artists gripe over problems they see in
society, artists of The Morbid strive to
explain their reality by using a direct
approach by exposing the tragedy of
modern times with death.
Examples of death in our creative cul-ture can be seen everywhere.
One of the best-known artists work-
ing in this manner is Damien Hirst.
Denver’s Museum of Contemporary
Art is lucky enough to exhibit his
work through August 30, 2009. The
showstopper is Saint Sebastian,
Exquisite Pain, a ten-foot tall glass
container fi lled with fl uid to preserve
the corpse of a bull that has been
shot with dozens of arrows. Although
you may not consider an animal
corpse to hold aesthetic value, recent
trends in contemporary art will argue
that the narrative aspect of death
and tragedy are valuable stories
that should be told through artistic
expression. In some way, Hirst’s work
is the answer to the age-old question
about life and death that humanity
is constantly concerned with. The
work can be viewed in 360 degrees
allowing a plethora of angles to
interpret the work. Hirst uses natural
materials to create the iconic imagery
that represents pain in a way that
can never be accomplished with
digital methods. When confronted
by Hirst’s work, viewers undoubtedly
will experience an emotional reaction
to its aura. Like Hirst, many con-
temporary artists are incorporating
natural materials in their search for
explaining those morbid questions
our society is asking.
Andy Warhol got his start with his
“White Car Crash” and became
the king of Pop Art. Later his focus
shifted to the iconography of a dead
celebrity when he created his most
recognized piece, Marilyn Diptych.
Popularizing themes dealing with
death for the current culture has
been going on for quite sometime.
Sally Mann, a notable photographer
of our times, photographed dead
bodies in the forensic training fi elds of
Virginia and expressively manipulated
them to show how beautiful decaying
humans are. The mood she sets can
make a viewer feel like they are a spirit
hovering over their own corpse.
Jackie Manning is a faculty member
of Metropolitan State College of
Denver’s Fine Art Department. At
the 2009 Collective Nouns Biennial
at the Center for Visual Art, Manning
presents one of the fi ner ways of
incorporating The Morbid in her Eight.
The almost life-sized portrait feels like
a very anonymous face like it had been
digitally altered to keep the secrecy of
the identity like they do on television
when a witness speaks to the mass
media endangering their own safety
to expose a high fashion scandal. But
you can’t even see it unless you stand
against the opposite wall of the gallery,
15 feet away, where you notice how
beautiful this life fi lled person’s ear has
been rendered out of what looks like
mud and strands of hair. When you
stand fi ve feet away, you notice all the
materials both traditional and natural
Written By James Cheney
Illustrated By Tracy Byram
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35
elements. When you stand within fi ve
inches you see it: death. There are
butterfl ies trapped in resin below the
exterior surface that has about six
layers of depth in the upper-left quad-
rant. In the lower-center quadrant you
see the skeleton of a decaying lizard
that still has fl esh around the skull and
a scorpion whose death is shared in
creating this portrait of what looks like
a happy middle-aged woman.
Unusual indeed is the methodology of The Morbid artists.
People talk about the artist’s soul.
What subconscious realm defi nes the
interior of society’s soul? As this move-
ment in contemporary art becomes
ever present, Morbid artists comment
on life by bringing pictorial realities of
its end – death. By pointing out that
everything will someday come to an
end to be replaced by descendants,
the considered audience is forced to
think about the fact that their own
lives will someday be over and time,
although short, will never end.
What then is life after death? Look
into the artist’s soul through their
emotive response to their canvas.
How is the media constructed and
how does that help defi ne its role in
society? If nobody can be certain of
the aftermath of death, then life after
death is just an uncertainty that is
the general crisis. Society’s concern
for tomorrow can only be solved by
realizing that tomorrow is the same
kind of uncertainty and today is all we
have. Life after death is just an excuse
for artists to expose this revelation
through morbid obsession with the
fact of death.
Historically, religion has always relied
on art to convince people on faith
alone that life after death exists.
Humanity by nature is uncomfortable
with the hard uncertainty of reality,
and artists by nature have always been
the soul of society, keeping a record
of cultural heritage. Right now, the
record we are keeping of The Morbid
suggests that contemporary society is
in the gutter.
Even the Aztec artists depict the end
of times, when their calendar expires,
a date that is approaching rapidly.
With so many artists in agreement the
creativeness of culture today is headed
in the direction of a darker space.
But artists don’t hold the key alone to
explaining the morbid trend in today’s
society. Designers gladly share this
burden although their creative vehicle
relies on digital roads. Google ‘graphic
tees’ and nine out of ten images
contain the iconic imagery of skulls.
From abstract designs to grid-ruled
advertisements and everything in
between, designers constantly use
morbid imagery to communicate their
messages. Automobile companies
crash their own cars before the mass
audience and sell the safety bags for
$30,000 by putting the fear of death
into the consumer culture.
Stefan Sagmeister is a well-known
designer whose morbid use of typog-
raphy created a commotion in the
design community. For his AIGA Detroit
poster, Sagmeister had the typography
for the report cut into his own skin and
then photographed for the promotion
of an American Institute of Graphic
Arts conference. The mutilation of the
fi gure is a favorite within this growing
trend. The morbid nature in this form of
communication can be quite successful
because of the shock factor. Society
36
it that people realize their body is a
temporary housing facility until they
some day move on?
Major motion pictures like Kill Bill,
directed by Quentin Tarantino, obsess
over this question of death and even
killing. Horror movies in general focus
on the mutilation of living bodies,
and resurrecting the dead. Zombies,
vampires and ghosts are close
relatives of The Morbid. Death is even
a theme in romantic and dramatic
features. We all remember the cultural
impact of the fi lm Titanic, an American
tragedy popularized through media. It
only seems natural; after all, everyone
that exists today someday will die.
wants this kind of message and design-
ers go to great lengths to provide that
service to the community.
Tattoo artists alike mutilate skin to
permanently create designs that
alter the human fi gure. Although
tattoos have a deep artistic history,
the popularity of tattoos in today’s
society seems to be on the rise. Is
37
In theater, the greatest playwright to
ever live and die was Shakespeare. A
crowd favorite, Romeo and Juliet, ends
in a most morbid manner. Two young
lovers lives end short because they
are better off dead together than alive
and living apart. That is society’s great-
est love story, the story that ends with
death. All of us will experience our
own stories ending the same. We need
stories about death because the more
interpretations of death we see as an
audience, the greater our understand-
ing of it as a society becomes.
Because death alone cannot explain
society, morbid art also attempts to
bend reality, skewing the facts about
our uncertainty with the afterlife.
These bent realities often fall into the
category of surrealism. The general
crisis is multifaceted; problems in
society will translate into work created
by artists. When the economy is good,
music trends lean toward upbeat pop
songs, but when the economy is bad
we see an uprise of musical move-
ments such as death metal.
Yes, The Morbid is everywhere and
is part of everyone. From the mass
media of newspapers, television and
the internet, to artistic mediums like
painting, sculpture and photography,
we see death, mutilation, and altera-
tions of reality. Movies, music, and
video games take advantage of the
audience’s thirst for morbid content
and at times overwhelm audiences
with graphic imagery. As contemporary
art grows, it is constantly pushing
the boundaries of how morbid art
can be. What we consider to be our
limits of acceptable material for mass
audiences today will probably look like
Sundays at grandma’s house for future
generations. While the Morbid trend
can be traced historically to the roots
of art, in the age of digital media, The
Morbid seems to be growing at an
exponential rate in society.
As the artist today bares their soul we
challenge our own notions about what
art is, or better yet, what art should
be. We begin to question, “Should art
make us feel uncomfortable?” The
artistic messages coming out of The
Morbid are giving society new ideas
about the defi nition of art. Art is
painting, art is digital, art is in motion,
art is conceptual, art is death. Creation
happens on the cusp of destruction.
Art in its very nature is destructive.
Even Duchamp tried to destroy the
established notions of what defi ned
art in his time. Today’s society accepts
this destructive element.
Morbid. adj. Of, pertaining to, or aff ected by dis-ease; suggesting an unhealthy mental state of being; grue-some. (Webster’s Dictionary).
Is our society morbid? Are we of, per-
taining to, or affected by disease? It’s
true: a generous portion of us will die
from disease. Are we, as a society in an
unhealthy mental state of being? Are
we gruesome? You bet we’re gruesome!
***The Morbid in Denver, Colorado***
Damien Hirst - the Museum of
Contemporary Art (MCA Denver).
Now through August 30, 2009
>Animal Carcass Extrodinaire.
TRACE (fi gurative) -
Metro State’s Center for Visual Art
June 4 - August 13, 2009
>There Will Be Blood.
Hamilton Addition – Denver Art Museum
Permanent Sculpture Collection
>Figures with Morbid Personalities.
DESIGN
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